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Orbit Airlines
History Orbit Airlines was founded on 22 August 1956 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The Airline commenced operations with a brand new Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which was delivered on the same day the airline was founded, starting sightseeing flights from Broward County International Airport (now Ft. Lauderdale International Airport). In the 60's, the airline started to offer charter flights in the general aviation business. The flights were offered mainly from Broward County International to Tampa, Palm Beach, and Atlanta. In 1969, Orbit placed orders for 15 Boeing 707s and 12 Boeing 727s. The aircraft were delivered to the airline in January and May 1970, respectively. In 1974, Orbit offered their first scheduled flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Raleigh. The flight was flown by the Boeing 727, which wasn´t big enough for the high demand on this route. Thus, the flights were well booked and bringing a good profit to the small airline. In 1975, Orbit began operating under a codeshare agreement with Atlantis Airways and, in 1976, began operating regular routes between Florida and the Bahamas, using Orbit's newly introduced fleet of Boeing 727s and Atlantis' fleet of Douglas DC-9s. On 16 October 1975, Orbit received its first Boeing 737-200, which was stationed at Miami Airport. From this day on, the airline was starting to get a big player on the international airline market. In 1976, the airline moved its headquarters to Tampa. Because the airline wanted to build up a network of holiday flights from there, two Boeing 737-200s were flown to destinations like Newark, Detroit, and St. Louis. Orbit Airlines also offered feeder services to St. Louis. On 19 November 1976, Atlantis Airways filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. In January 1977, Orbit decided to acquire Atlantis and their fleet of 21 Douglas DC-9s. The airline completed the merger in November 1977. In 1979, the airline began operating flights to the Western and Southwestern United States. For this, the airline placed orders for new widebody aircraft. Orders for 14 Boeing 747-100s, 17 Boeing 747-200s, and 20 McDonnell Douglas DC-10s were placed. In May 1981, Orbit received its first 4 DC-10s, all stationed at Miami. The next month, the airline began operating DC-10 flights from Miami to destinations such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas. In March 1984, Orbit founded its regional subsidiary Orbit Connection. In November 1984, Orbit Connection began feeder services from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta and Palm Beach to Raleigh, operated by the deHavilland Dash 8-100. In 1986, Orbit received its first Boeing 757, which operated regular daily routes from the East coast to destinations in the Western US such as Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle. On 09 May 1987, Orbit Airlines formed a codeshare agreement with low-cost Canadian carrier Contact Airways. The airlines then started low-cost seasonal flights from Boston and New York LaGuardia to Canadian destinations such as Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver, which were operated using Orbits fleet of Dash 8-100s and Contact's fleet of Boeing 737-300s. In 1989, Orbit decided to start operating internationally. Thus, the airline placed orders for 27 Boeing 747-400s and 19 McDonnell Douglas MD-11s, the first of which were received in 1991 and 1992, respectively. In 1990, Orbit Airlines began a major fleet overhaul. In April, the airline began phasing out its aging fleet of 56 Boeing 737-200s and replacing them with the larger and more modern Boeing 737-400. Orbit also began retiring its fleet of 747-100s and 747-200s, which was being replaced with the more advanced 747-400. In 1992, Orbit regained control of it's financial crisis and where able to buy more 747-400s and later that year, they began for real to operate the long-haul flights for Orbit. In 1992, Orbit began flying its new 747-400 and MD-11 aircraft on transcontinental routes between the US, Europe, Asia, and Oceana, with flights to London, Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and Melbourne, via Miami, New York JFK, Houston, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. In 1994, the airline received 13 Airbus A320s for operating routes between the US, Canada, Mexico, and various other US territories. In 1995, the airline's last 747-200 was converted to a freighter aircraft and sold to Quantum Air Cargo. By then, Orbit had 17 747-400s operating medium to long haul and transcontinental routes to and from the US. In 1997, the last Boeing 737-200 was sold to an airline from Mallorca (Spain) and Orbit Airline meanwhile had a fleet of 86 Boeing 737-400, which were all purchased new. In February 2000, Orbit Connection placed orders for the ATR 72, Bombardier CRJ700 and Q400 regional airliners. Deliveries of these aircraft were completed in 2002. Finally in 2001, Contact Airways filed for bankruptcy and merged with Orbit. It was decided to keep Orbit Airlines as the name for the new airline. All of Contact's aircraft were transferred to the Orbit Connection fleet and, thus, repainted from the blue, green, and white paint of Contact Airways into the red and white livery of Orbit Airlines. In 2003, Orbit decided to update their 23-year-old livery. In September, the airline introduced their new "Friendly Skies" livery, which consisted of a white upper half of the fuselage and a yellow bottom half with a yellow and blue tail. Also in 2003, Orbit Airlines placed orders for the Airbus A321 and Boeing 737-700 to replace their aging fleet of Boeing 737-400s. In summer 2005, the first A321 was delivered to Orbit's largest US hub in Miami. The new aircraft also debuted the airline's new "Friendly Skies" livery, which is still in use today In 2006, the Boeing 737-800 was introduced. The new fleet began operating routes within the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In 2009, the airline moved to its headquarters back to Ft. Lauderdale, moving nearest to Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. In 2011, Orbit placed orders for the recently introduced Boeing 747-8I. The first 5 aircraft were delivered directly from Seattle to Miami in spring 2014, with 10 more aircraft still on order. In summer 2015, Orbit placed orders for the Bombardier CS100 and CS300, deliveries of which are expected to begin in October 2017 and March 2018, respectively. In 2017, the Boeing 787-9 was introduced at Miami International Airport. Orbit is currently flying its new 787-9 fleet on routes to Europe and South America. Today the airline is the most popular airline in terms of domestic services, and the second-most popular airline for international services behind World Travel Airways Hubs Orbit Airlines Fact: All routes that Orbit flies either starts or ends at a hub. Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) New York JFK (JFK) Rio De Janeiro (GIG) Seattle Tacoma (SEA) Las Vegas (LAS) Tokyo Narita (NTT) Los Angeles (LAX) London Heathrow (LHR) Denver (DEN) Dallas (DFW) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) Baltimore (BWI) Fleet ''Mainstream'' Airbus A319 (40) Airbus A320 (43) Airbus A321 (33) Airbus A330 (28) Boeing 737-700 (59) Boeing 737-800 (112) Boeing 737-900 (35) Boeing 737MAX7 (On order, delivery expected to begin in June 2018) Boeing 737MAX8 (13, currently on order) Boeing 747-400 (34, to be phased out by 2020) Boeing 747-8I (17, currently on order) Boeing 757-200 (28) Boeing 757-300 (27, 15 ER) Boeing 767-300 (26) Boeing 777-200 (26, 15 ER) Boeing 777-300 (25, 10 ER) Boeing 787-8 (16, currently on order) Boeing 787-9 (5, currently on order) Bombardier CS100 (On order, deliveries expected to begin in May 2018) Bombardier CS300 (On order, deliveries expected to begin in December 2020) McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (36) McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (44) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (37) ''Regional'' ATR 72 (26) Bombardier CRJ700 (135) Bombardier CRJ900 (33) Bombardier Q400 (35) Embraer EMB120 Brasilia (22, currently undergoing retirement) Embraer ERJ145 (30) Embraer E175 (37) Embraer E195 (35) DeHavilland Dash 8-100 (37, retirement expected to begin in November 2017) Mitsubishi MRJ90 (On order, deliveries expected to begin in July 2019) Saab 340 (29) ''Former'' Boeing 707 Boeing 727-200 Boeing 737-200 Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737-400 Boeing 747SP Boeing 747-100 Boeing 747-200 Cessna 172 Skyhawk Douglas DC-8 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Accidents and Incidents On 24 December, 1983, Orbit Flight 5022, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 was travelling from Madrid to Paris Orly with 80 people. Shorty after takeoff the plane banked dangerously to the left and crashed. The sole survivor was a five-year-old boy. The cause of the crash was a broken pipe which caused hydraulic fluid to leak out, which caused the flaps and slats to fail. The DC-9 takeoff warning did not go off as it was control but the flap lever not the flap position. This flight was actually the third to last flight of this plane before retirement as the plane was 33 years old. The DC-9s were being replaced by Boeing 737-200s. This was the first fatal accident in Orbit's history. On 13 October, 1989, Orbit Flight 5925, A Dash-8 was travelling from Denver to Durango with three crew members and 21 passengers. While landing, it crashed into a small Cessna 172, killing all three people on the Cessna instantly. The Dash stopped short of the end of the runway. 15 of the 24 occupants on board the Orbit plane were seriously injured and one later died of smoke inhalation. The cause of the crash was that the Cessna 172 did not listen to the common air traffic frequency and did not look for traffic while taking off and also did not announce that they were taking off. On 12 May, 1991, upon takeoff, Orbit Airlines Flight 1330, a Boeing 747-400, collided with Pacific Airlines Flight 142, also a Boeing 747-400, on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. The crash claimed the lives of 386 people, making it America's deadliest commercial aviation disaster, as well as the deadliest accident involving both Orbit and Pacifica Airlines. The cause of the collision was due to lack of situational awareness on behalf of the Pacifica crew, which was further hampered by outdated radar and charts. On 27 December, 1996, Orbit Airlines Flight 774, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80, crashed into the Puget Sound while attempting to return to Seattle Tacoma International Airport. All 139 passengers and crew were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be an electrical arcing event that triggered a fire in the front of the aircraft that burned through electrical wiring powering several crucial flight deck systems. On 15 August, 1998, as part of a prank, an Orbit Boeing 737-400 awaiting maintenance at Sacramento Airport was tagged by a group of Orbit Airlines interns who reportedly altered the aircraft's tail registration (N199OR) with spray paint so that it spelled the N-Word. The interns were arrested for destruction of public property and were promptly fired from Orbit Airlines. The aircraft's registration was later changed to N529CT. On 28 December, 1998, Orbit Flight 6832, an Airbus A320 travelling from Washington DC to West Palm Beach, ditched in the Potomac River after both engines shut down due to fuel contamination. Despite a safe ditching, 3 people got trapped inside the aircraft and drowned before they could be rescued. The aircraft was written off. On 7 June, 2000, Orbit Airlines Flight 872, a Boeing 757-200 travelling from Austin to San Fransisco with 198 passengers and crew, overran the runway at San Francisco and ditched in the San Francisco Bay upon landing in rainy weather. All passengers and crew on board were evacuated and rescued by the Coast Guard before the plane sank into the bay. The airframe was recovered from the bay, written off due to extensive damage, and has since become an aviation museum exhibit. On 19 March, 2001, Orbit Flight 37, a Boeing 747-400, N851OR, was travelling from San Francisco to Tokyo with 289 people aboard. During the flight's initial climb out of SFO, both the plane's port-side engines ingested a small flock of seagulls. The pilots were able to return to San Francisco and execute a successful emergency landing with no loss of life. The airframe's engines were repaired and the plane was restored to service the following month. On July 21st, 2002, Orbit Flight 7865, A Boeing 737-400 was travelling from Denver to Sacramento with 102 people. Toward the end of the flight, the flight crew lost contact with ATC. The flight diverted to Reno and remained in a holding pattern. The plane eventually ran out of fuel and the flight crew executed an emergency landing at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. No injuries on board. The investigation linked the incident to pilot error. On June 29th, 2003, Orbit Flight 1250, A Boeing 737-400 was flying from Austin to Fort Lauderdale with 52 people onboard, when the aircraft crashed just after takeoff from runway 17L, killing everyone onboard. The cause of the crash was the crew's failure to set the flaps before takeoff, thus not giving the plane enough lift to stay in the air. On 21 March, 2005, Orbit flight 232, A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was travelling from Sydney to Los Angles with 264 people on board. Soon after takeoff the tail engine began surging and pulsing fire. The flight returned to Sydney on the remaining two engines. The cause of the engine failure was due to a fuel leak in one of the MD-11's fuel systems. This aircraft, like all of Orbit's other MD-11 planes, has since been retired in 2013 and sold to Global Freightways as a freighter. On 5 May, 2007, in the middle of the night, Orbit Connection Flight 8320, a Bombardier CRJ700 travelling from Burbank to Reno with 47 people on board, collided in mid-air with Quantum Air Cargo Flight 23, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F travelling from Seattle to Mexico City. All 49 people aboard both aircraft were killed and both aircraft were completely destroyed. An investigation discovered that the Bombardier CRJ700 pilots were unable to immediately detect the Quantum Air Cargo plane due to fatigue associated with the long flight hours. On 16 September, 2008, while operating as Orbit Airlines Flight 112 from Las Vegas to London, the same Boeing 747-400 involved in the Flight 37 incident in 2001, N851OR, experienced a catastrophic failure of the #2 engine while cruising over Texas. The flight diverted to Houston, where the pilots executed a successful emergency landing. 6 passengers and a flight attendant were injured by flying debris hurled from outside and the aircraft itself sustained moderate damage. Investigations determined the cause of the engine failure to be an undetected fatigue crack in the #2 fan disk that was overstressed when the plane flew in 2008. The 747 has, once again, since been repaired and is still in service with Orbit. On 29 August, 2014, Orbit Connection Flight 5612, a Bombardier CRJ700 flying from Salt Lake City to Omaha, entered a sharp bank to the left during cruise flight over Colorado. The pilots were able to recover and make a safe emergency landing in Denver. All 47 people on board the CRJ700 survived, although 6 were injured. Inspection of the aircraft found that the rudder had deflected to its full left position, which indicated a rudder hardover. Investigations concluded this event occurred as a result of poor rudder maintenance. On 18 September, 2016, an Orbit Boeing 737-700 was slightly damaged after a hailstorm peppered Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. No one was on board the plane, as the aircraft was parked in front of a maintenance hangar awaiting general inspection the next day. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service. On 23 April, 2017 an Orbit Airlines 747-400 from Los Angeles to Shanghai stalled while cruising on autopilot. They were still over the coast when it stalled out. They were very close to Seattle Tacoma International Airport so they sent their fire trucks out to extinguish the impact fire. Only 3 pilots on the upper deck survived because the bottom softened the impact for the top deck and pilots know what to do in emergencies. After more stalls that were recovered happened on Boeing 747-400's the airline decided to start retiring them and will be completely out of service by 2020. On 7 March, 2017, an unruly passenger was removed from Orbit Flight 7545, an Airbus A320 travelling from Boise to Sacramento. According to witnesses, the seemingly intoxicated passenger reportedly got up and started dancing in the aisle of the aircraft while the seatbelt sign was on. After being asked to return to his seat, he started acting loud and threatened to punch a flight attendant. The passenger was subdued and the flight landed in Sacramento without further incident. Part of the incident was caught on video and has received significant media attention. On 22 April, 2017, Orbit Connection Flight 2953, a Bombardier Q400, experienced a nose gear tire blowout on its takeoff roll at McCarran International Airport. The pilots aborted takeoff and no injuries were reported. On 29 September, 2017, Orbit Flight 1 was flying from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver when it collided with Orbit Flight 784 from Las Vegas to Edmonton. Flight 784s plane N738OB was severely damaged and was written off. 28 of the 32 people died. Flight 1 had minor tail damage that was fixed. No injuries were reported. The plane is still in service with Orbit. Category:Europa